Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Sorry for the week's absence, my Grandma, Aunt, Uncle & Cousin came for the week...we traveled, and traveled...and traveled so more...it was a glorious time but alas I was without the internet and thus could not blog....I'm back though, with a new laptop (props to my Missionary Support Team) and I will be resuming my lenghty & verbose commentaries shortly....look for a new entry in a few days...blessings to you all.

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Hullo, Hullo dear readers - I hope this finds you all in good health and good spirits. As I sit here clicking away at the communal computer I am feeling a mite anxious. School is grinding on and I am finding it harder and harder to pop right up out of bed each day and report to class with a chipper smile on my face. Nevertheless I do and with the help of some powerful Costa Rican coffee I manage to muscle throught he learning of the Subjunctive Mood in Spanish (whoever decided to discard the Subjunctive in English ought to be given a medal and a national holiday).As I said though I'm anxious I am eagerly anticiapting my family's arrival here in Costa Rica next week - we're less than a week away and I'm practically beside myself with expectancy. Lest you think I'll be skipping school next week fear not, Costa Rica (including the school systems) shut down for Holy Week (Semana Santa), thus I will have a week completely free from classes, conjugations and the Subjunctive to roam the Costa Rican country side with the Fam, I cannot wait.

-In my previous post I promised an update from San Carlos - pheewww, here goes. I mentioned last week that I was especially excited because a few kids from La Carpio would be coming with us to help out and just enjoy the countryside - last Thursday, Lalo, that's the missionary that we students work with in La Carpio asked me if I would be willing to skip school Friday and head up to San Carlos early with the La Carpio boys for the purpose of hanging out with the boys from the orphange there. It was a tough decision, the mental anguish and guilt that I felt was almost too much but in the end I succumbed and agreed to go. It was awesome. We headed up early in the morning, got settled in at the camp that we were to stay at and then headed up to the boys home to go swimming in the river. I had a blast, the cliff jumping was almost as good as back in PA and it just felt so good to be able to enjoy creation in such a simple way...I almost felt as though I was up home on the Loyalsock jumping from the Hillsgrove Bridge....except for the 10 latinos running about and shouting in Spanish. It was especially fun just to be able to see the kids from La Carpio enjoying themselves out in nature, experiencing things that most people from La Carpio will never be able to. Gringos from the Language School, about 30 of them showed up later that evening but I kind of hitched my wagon to the La Carpio group for the rest of the weekend - groups of us helped with a construction project at the Methodist camp we were staying at while others hosted a Bible School/Fiesta at the local school - it was utter chaos but fun nonetheless. At the end of our stay we took a trip over to the local hotsprings (all 40 of us) and relaxed for the evening - again it was fun just to see the boys from La Carpio enjoying this bit of creation that they otherwise would not have been able to. I ended my weekend by attending a La Carpio league soccer game back in San Jose with my friend Kelly - it was fun to watch....especially because they won.In other news, we now have 3 other Gringos living in our tiny little home, Flora keeps adding more, I think if she could she would build pull-out beds in the dressers. Counting myself and the Mora clan we now have 8 people living in a space about the size of some people's Living Room. Flora mentioned the other day that she's always had a dream to own a small hotel or Bed & Breakfast but that it never came true...I think she might be mistaken.Ok that's all for this week - I again apologize for the brevity of these posts...I don't like them any more than you do but I do predict that very shortly I will be able to return to my preferred method of book length entries full of half-witted observations and pithy self-deprecation. Let's hope so. Oh one quick last thought....I just found out today that NASA is predicting that very shortly a new Volcano is set to erupt in Northern Costa Rica - not to worry, it should be small and is well removed from San Jose but nonetheless should be interesting to watch on the tele. Ok, Blessings to you all this week - live in the knowledge of the fullness of Christ and go where He leads. Peace!

Wednesday, March 5, 2008

Well dear friends, I've found a way to continue posting despite the loss of my trusty laptop, I might even be a tad more regular...I'm thinking an every Wednesday sort of situation. As I mentioned before though, my posts won't be quite so wordy or in-depth...someday when I obtain another laptop we'll be able to return to the days of verbose expositories on life in Latin America. Until then though fleeting thoughts and brief observations will have to suffice.

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Anyways, I wanted to give a quick shout-out, and more importantly a heartfelt 'thank you' to all those who sent encouraging emails my way over the past two weeks. I certainly had a harrowing experience, one that I hope doesn't repeat itself and I find myself looking over my shoulder more often now when I'm out walking. Nevertheless, God is faithful, He kept me from serious harm, He taught me a few important lessons regarding my own naevete and feelings of invincibility and He's surrounded me with love and support from both the people here and those back home. Again, I wouldn't want to repeat the situation but a lot of good has certainly come out of it.

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These past two weeks have been fairly uneventful, school, school and more school - I'm ready for it to be done, I see Honduras coming quickly and though I'll be sad to leave the people I love here, I am definitely ready to get on with what I came to do - I can't wait.
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In other news, I'm planning on visiting San Carlos this weekend with about 25 other students from the school for the purpose of helping out with an orphanage there...I'm not exactly sure what I'll be doing, probably playing with kids, but I'm very excited about going. Apparently San Carlos is absolutely beautiful, completely untouched by pollution and over-development...the rivers are swimable, I can't wait. The incredible part about this trip is that we're going to be taking a few kids from La Carpio to help us out. These kids have, in the last few months, built a relationship with the orphans there and in their own way have been missionaries to some of the kids that have experienced incredible pain and heartache already at such an early age. It blows my mind when I think of these La Carpio kids that have next to nothing sharing their time, their toys and their lives with kids they barely know. That to me is Christ at work in the world.

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One last thought before I go, Shirley Morris, that's mi Grandma, will soon be a world-traveler. As I understand it she's never left the United States...maybe she's been to Canada (U.S. parte dos) but outside of that she's never left the contiguous 48 or flown in an airplane. In two weeks, with the help of dramamine and a bottle of scotch, she will have done both - she, my Aunt and Uncle are all coming to Costa Rica to visit me for the week leading up to Easter (Semana Santa). I cannot wait - I have been looking forward to this since they told me of their plans in Christmas, I'm especially excited for Shirl, I hope she stays sober long enough to enjoy her time here (just kidding Grandma).

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Ok, that's all for this week tune back in next Wednesday and I'll have an update from San Carlos, and maybe a Floraisms. Peace!

About Me

I am a follower of Jesus, lover of all things Honduran and a native of Central Pennsylvania. My physical location is less than fixed and permanent but my heart and mind is ever-present in La Ceiba, Honduras.